Louis C.K. punts sexual-harassment "rumors" in The New York Times, forcing more questions

Seems he wants this all to go away. It isn't

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September 12, 2017 7:57PM (UTC)

When you’re promoting your movie about a filmmaker who is also a rumored sexual predator, it’s probably best to be prepared to respond thoughtfully to queries about the fog of sexual-misconduct allegations that follows you down the street — particularly when you're talking to America's Paper of Record.

But, no, Louis C.K. didn't manage that. "I’m not going to answer to that stuff, because they’re rumors," Louis C.K. said in response to a line of questioning by The New York Times regarding the various rumors that have floated back up to the surface recently, thanks to statements by fellow comedian Tig Notaro.

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In an interview with The New York Times, published yesterday, the comedian repeatedly dodged questions about multiple accusations of alleged sexual misconduct between he and female comedians. "If you actually participate in a rumor, you make it bigger and you make it real," he told writer Cara Buckley. All this went on as he was promoting his latest film, "I Love You Daddy," in which he plays a television writer whose 17-year-old daughter is potentially being seduced by a much older famous filmmaker in the mold of Roman Polanski.

The rumors that Louis C.K. had masturbated in front of women comedians were in the news again after Tig Notaro opened up about the longstanding issue to The Daily Beast. "I think it’s important to take care of that, to handle that, because it's serious to be assaulted,” she told the publication. "It's serious to be harassed. It's serious, it's serious, it's serious." Louis C.K. is listed as an executive producer on Notaro’s Amazon series "One Mississippi," but Notaro told The Daily Beast that they haven’t spoken in months, and that he has nothing to do with the production of her show.

When the Times asked Louis C.K. about Notaro's comments he responded "I don’t know why she said the things she’s said, I really don’t." He added "I don’t think talking about that stuff in the press and having conversations over press lanes is a good idea."

Notaro is not the only notable performer to address such rumors of misconduct. Both Roseanne Barr and comedian Jen Kirkman have discussed the "known perv" in the past.

Now, Louis C.K. may not want to to make the allegations bigger, but he may not need to. At this point, the rumbling around the issue is growing louder with or without him, with his official comments or his silence. Whatever's next, it seems Louis C.K.’s career hasn’t suffered much up to this point. According to the Times, distribution company The Orchard purchased “I Love You Daddy,” for $5 million.